A centralised digital admissions system is taking shape in Sierra Leone following a high level engagement in Freetown that brought JAMB officials face to face with senior government ministers, academic leaders, and institutional stakeholders committed to transforming how students access tertiary education in the country.

JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who led the Nigerian technical delegation, commended Sierra Leone's consultative approach to the reform and assured all stakeholders of JAMB's continued support throughout the implementation process. Prof. Oloyede noted that Nigeria launched its own centralised admissions system in 1978 under circumstances comparable to those currently facing Sierra Leone, and stressed that the goal is to help Sierra Leone build a system tailored to its own national realities rather than adopt the Nigerian model outright.

The technical visit followed an earlier trip by a Sierra Leonean delegation, led by Deputy Minister Sarjoh Aziz Kamara, to Nigeria, where officials observed JAMB's admissions operations firsthand during its Annual Policy Meeting. Nigeria's Minister of Education subsequently approved a formal technical mission to Freetown to share practical experience and implementation frameworks.

Deputy Minister Aziz Kamara revealed at the forum that the Cabinet had approved the creation of a Centralised Admissions Secretariat within the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education to coordinate the process through a unified digital platform. He described the reform as a decisive move towards transparency, accountability, efficiency, and fairness in Sierra Leone's higher education admissions.

The Minister of Technical and Higher Education in Sierra Leone, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, disclosed that the proposed Centralised Admissions System carries Cabinet approval and is anchored in the Universities Act of 2021. She stated that the reform would dismantle inefficiencies entrenched in the current decentralised process and provide universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions with a single digital admissions platform. Dr. Wurie also expressed appreciation to Nigeria's Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, for what she described as tremendous support, adding that Sierra Leone intends to adopt global best practices rather than copy any existing model.

The stakeholder forum, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Freetown, drew wide participation from across the education sector, including Prof. Edwin J.J. Momoh, Chairman of the Conference of Vice Chancellors and Principals, WAEC Sierra Leone Head Matilda Jusu, and Director General of NCRA, Mohamed Massaquoi, among several other senior officials.

JAMB's presentation at the event outlined a comprehensive framework for a national digital admissions architecture designed to improve data integrity, eliminate duplication, and strengthen long term educational planning across Sierra Leone.